I diagnosed in January with low thyroid and started on 25mcg. Started feeling better and had bloodwork 5 weeks later and was improved but still low. My doc took me up to 50 and about a week in I started feeling crazy. Super anxious with a rushing feeling in my head and ringing ears. I have pain in the back of my neck at the base of my skull regularly and I’m so anxious. I asked to go off 50 because I couldn’t imagine continuing. I’m really not sure what to do. Has anyone else experienced similar symptoms? I’m feeling so paranoid about hearing damage and paranoid about everything really. I feel worse than before the meds now and feeling pretty depressed about all of it. Trying to add some vitamins that I’ve read about, cutting down on drinking and coffee but nothing seems to help. Any advice?
Levo making me crazy/ringing in ears?? - Thyroid UK
Levo making me crazy/ringing in ears??
Did the increase in dose mean a change of brand?
Paranoia is a hypo symptom, so you obviously do need that increase in dose. But, perhaps a different brand. Or ask to take two x 25 mcg, as you were improving on 25.
Not a good idea to just take 'vitamins' willy-nilly. You should get tested first to see if you need them, and how much. Some vitamins are dangerous in excess. Essentially, you should ask for vit d, vit B12, folate and ferritin to be tested.
Which vitamins are you taking? How long have you been taking them and how much?
no he just raised the levo from 25 to 50 but it made me feel really bad and he suggested going back to 25 which i did. i'm about a week into that and i just feel awful. i haven't seen a specialist yet, just by regular doctor. in total i'm at about 8 weeks or so on levo and i'm super anxious, mind racing, depressed, rushing in my head. i don't know how long i can manage this. not sure what to do
Yes, I realise he raised the levo. But, are the 50 mcg tablets made by the same company as the 25 mcg tablets? Have a look at the names on the boxes. Different brands suit different people differently.
Of cours you feel bad. On only 25 mcg levo, you're going to be very hypo. Those are hypothyroid symptoms you're experiencing. 25 mcg is not even a normal starter dose unless you're very young, very old or have a heart condition.
hmmm i guess i didn't think to check that. i got the script from the same pharmacy. i guess i can call and ask if they're the same or not. i'm 47 btw and i'm still not sure why i went hypo. i had bloodwork done last year and i was fine. i'm sorry i'm a total newb with this and am freaking out. i've been mostly healthy until this and my outlook is pretty grim right now. i can't believe i actually feel worse than went i went to the doc initially. i don't feel like my doc made it clear how serious this was. he made it seem like i'd go on these meds and it would even out and i just feel worse and he seems confused by that. any advice how to go forward? do you think i should suggest getting the vitamin levels tested?
the doc told me he started me at 25mcg to ease into it because my level was low but according to him not that low. the last reading was TSH W/REFLEX TO FT4 5.53 HT4 FREE 1.0 these #s are new to me and i'm still not sure how bad that even is
Yes, that's a mistake that most doctors make. But, hypo is hypo - it's like being pregnant, either you are or you aren't, you can't be a little bit pregnant. And, the fact that your TSH was only a little bit over-range, doesn't mean that you're only a little bit hypo. Rediculous idea! And, 'easing into it' can make you worse, rather than better, but they're so ignorant they don't understand that. They are very under-educated in hormones in general, and don't know the difference between a hormone and an aspirin!
TSH - Thyroid Stimulating Hormone - is a pituitary hormone, not a thyroid hormone. When the pituitary - situated in your brain - senses that there is not enough thyroid hormone in the blood, it increases its output of TSH to stimulate the thyroid (in your neck) to make more hormone. If the thyroid, for whatever reason, can't respond, the TSH gest higher and higher.
'TSH W/REFLEX TO FT4' is an instruction to the lab. It means that they are to test the TSH, and if that is over or under range, they should test the FT4.
T4 is a thyroid hormone. And, 1 seems very low, but impossible to say for sure without the range. Please, always give the range because they vary from lab to lab. So, if your FT4 is low, and your TSH is not very high, that would suggest a problem with the pituitary rather than the thyroid itself. Have you had a severe blow to the head at any time? Or a car accident? Something like that?
Please, can you tell me the range for the FT4? You should find it in brackets after the result. 
If your new prescription is Teva that could be the problem, do you have any of your 25mcg left to check if they’re the same - Teva made me VERY unwell .
i just checked the bottle and it says mfg amneal. just googled and that seems like the manufacturer? i don't have the first bottle anymore i'll have to call tomorrow
Just realised you in USA never heard of that make unfortunately?
is it normal to feel so anxious/depressed/mind racing on these meds or just hypo in general? i'm having so much trouble focusing on getting well because it's such a slow process and i'm gradually feeling worse. was researching therapists but if this is a side effect of hypo or meds i'm not sure how that will help. feeling pretty hopeless currently
Yes it’s a nasty thing to have and It’s a very slow process of getting better and you have to be patient, blood tests approx 8 weeks after dose change , do you have an endocrinologist or specialist to look after you ? This site is amazing for help and advice and without it I would not be where I am , speak to your doctor and get your results with the range and post them on here for advice .
my doc suggested the endo after the next round of blood which probably isn't for 2 weeks or so. gah this is hard
Just try to get through the next few weeks and follow the blood test protocol on here .
I'm afraid doctors have limited understanding of thyroid problems. It's complicated as to why, but they just don't learn about it in med school, and have no idea how serious it is. When I first started levo, the endo told me that 'in two weeks, you won't recognise yourself because you'll feel so much better!' Well, I didn't recognise myself, but because I felt so much worse!
Your first problem is that your doctor started you on too low a dose. He should have started you on 50 mcg.
Second problem is that people who work in pharmacy believe that all brands of levo are exactly the same - they aren't! And, they don't understand the effect changing brands can have on the patient. Did your tablets not come in a box? Did you not receive a PIL with them? If you didn't get a PIL, then the pharmacy is committing a grave lack of care. I'm not sure if it's the law that you should have one, but you most certainly should. Anyway, you do need to find out the brand names of your two different strengths of pill.
Quite why you became hypo is often impossible to determine, there are many, many causes - and in most cases, it doesn't make much difference. The important thing is what happens after your diagnosis. But, you do need to know if you were tested for antibodies. Because, if you have high antibodies, then the cause of your hypothyroidism will be Autoimmune Thyroiditis - aka Hashi's. It's important to know that - especially so because doctors have absolutely no understanding of Hashi's, so the patient at least needs to know what's going on!
When you have a blood test, always, always get a copy of your results. You need to know exactly what was tested, and exactly what the results were. Just ask the receptionist - never the doctor - for a printout. Then, post the results, with the ranges, on here and people will help you understand them. You need to take charge of your own health. So, just keep reading on here, and you will soon know a lot more than your doctor does!
buzzing1973 I have it too. When I went from 50mcg of levo to 75mcg I started feeling pressure headaches and constant ringing in my ears. It’s horrid. I’m now on 100mcg of levo and 50mcg of t3. It’s just as bad. I’m going to be brave and drop my levo back down to 50 and increase my t3 to see if it helps. So it could well be your levo increase. My brand is always the same. Maybe it’s worth changing brands to see if a different one works for you. You do still sound hypo. I hope you feel better soon and get it sorted out x
awful. i'm so sorry. i have moments where it's not as bad and i think it's going away then it's back. my ears feel kind of full and there's pressure behind one eye for sure
That’s exactly what i have. Try to change brands first off. And see if there’s a change. 25mcg is an extremely low dose. I think for me it’s just levo regardless of brand. Which is why I want to come off it and go t3 only. X
Hey Cat hope your well! Mind if I ask you a few questions.All those symptoms I get.Tinnitus in two ears very deep hum in left ear.Eye pain neck pain at my temples and at the base of my skull.Agitation and aches and pains all over.Can I ask you how you went about getting your T3?
Hi jacobite33
After a dire service from my GP and his endocrinologist who thought I was going to die on a TSH of 0.40 with low fT3 and 4 so stopped my levothyroxine there and then, I went private and sought an endo from thyroid UK’s list. As I’d had a positive DIO2 gene mutation result and wasn’t feeling good on levo only he agreed to trial me on t3. However I’d have to pay for it. Once I’m on his nhs list maybe there’s a small chance they will. But I doubt it.
I source it from America.
You could have all those symptoms from under medication just as much as the levo not working or you having an allergy to it. Make sure you try everything to get optimal first and go from there.
I can’t be sure my tinnitus is from levo, I think it might be but until I come off it (which my consultant won’t allow!!) I’ll never know. Only one way to find out! X
Cat013 Thank you for replying! Will try keep this short as it’s someone else’s post and I don’t want them to receive notifications with my problems.Its rude of me asking on there post already.Will maybe pop up a fresh post on the forum.I have had neck issues for a couple of years,put it down to whiplash whilst out cycling.All the symptoms you’s have described I get and have gradually worsened since November (roughly) 2019.Had different brands of levo since around 2016 and now starting to think maybe I have an allergy.It was working till they dropped it.Before though I was getting palpitations and racing heart insomnia and anxiety.Again Cat013 thank you for replying and your advice.Stay safe and take care!
Have you got recent blood test results? If you post them here or on a new post people will help you.
If your symptoms went on a higher dose and now you’ve dropped it and feel worse again you could well be under medicated. It shows it worked. How much did you increase by? Can you halve what you increased or have you done that? You can split the tablets into small pieces.
Perhaps you’re just missing your sweet spot.
Failing that adding a tiny amount of t3 may really help. But it’s much more costly and messy than t4. So try that first.
Do you split your levo doses? That can help with palpitations etc. Taking half in the morning and half towards the end of the evening. Blood tests best so people can have a proper look. Vitamins need testing too: B12, ferritin, folate and vit d as they can cause symptoms too. Zinc, magnesium etc all important. I’d also recommend taking selenium if you don’t already as it’s helps increase t4 to t3. It’s also said to lower antibodies. It did mine.
Hope that’s of some help xx
Just waiting on private blood test results recommended by the lovely helpful people like yourself on here.Sent them on Tuesday.Was hoping they would have emailed the results by now (bank holiday last Monday) Time will tell.Will post when I get them.Cat013 I was ok till I started taking different brands and it all went wonky.Didn’t know about the effect of different brands at the time as they say it’s all the same (obviously not!) A doc told me it was as if I had to much levothyroxine that started the process of it being dropped.It’s all a bit long.Should actually put my story up fully so others know.Keep meaning to get round to it.Will put my results up when I get them and take advice.Thanks again!
Definitely post them and your symptoms and we can see what’s going on 😊. Hopefully it’ll help. Swapping brands often doesn’t work for people so keeping to the same one is important. X
ok i just checked with my pharmacy and it's been the same manufacturer the whole time so i've checked off one possible issue there
Hi.
You sound just like my cousin. She was very hypo and was prescribed levo 50mcg. She couldn’t bear it and refused to take it. But she became more and more symptomatic. I was unaware of this as hadn’t seen her for a while. When we next spoke she mentioned it all and so I explained what I knew to her.
That is a lot of people feel worse before you start to feel ok. You can get palpations, you can get anxiety etc. You have to try and have faith that this is going to be temporary.
When I increased last time I felt dreadful and realised why she stopped taking it but I carried on and within a few weeks I was fine again. Those few weeks weren’t all full on. There were times I felt reasonably ok.
My cousin is now on 200 mcg. That is how far she’s come. I will say she split her 25mcg increases 12.5mcg latterly as she found this was more tolerable. It takes longer but if it means you can carry on without feeling so bad you have to give up then maybe it’s worth a thought?
Also have you had your iron/ ferritin checked as I believe that can exacerbate the ringing/pounding in the ears? Obviously you don’t want to supplement this without knowing what your levels as that can be dangerous but maybe the doctor has results from the blood work you had carried out a few weeks ago?
I read what the others said about different brands and would also agree there. I know a couple of brands don’t agree with me and also a change in brand cause me to fluctuate.
Its tough dealing with anxiety and all these sort of symptoms but you have to keep reminding yourself it’s temporary and that you will feel better if you can just stick with it. x.
yeah about a week into taking the 50mcg i remember thinking "i can't believe i'm about to take this pill knowing what it's going to do to do to me. " at the time i was taking 2x 25mcg so i just took the one and have been back down to 25mcg. i'm starting to think that i should have toughed it out because i actually feel worse now than i did then.
Why not cut the extra 25mcg in half and just add 12.5 mcg for a few weeks before adding another 12.5mcg? I must say I didn’t notice my levo until I went from 75mcg to 100mcg. That was horrible so I do sympathise if you feel like that to start. Palpatations and over thinking everything 😱 . Weird because my t3 didn’t raise. Maybe this initial dose is hard for you but the next won’t be 🤷♀️ It’s just trying to find the best way for you.
i suggested the exact thing to my doc. i smaller increment increase and he didn't seem to think that was a good idea. i didn't understand why honestly. the ear ringing started about a week into the 50mcg change so i assumed it was a meds side effect but now it's still here over a week back down to 25mcg so it must be a hypo symptom? i've been worried about hearing damage or loss. i suppose i might feel better knowing that won't likely happen but it's still tough
thanks that's pretty helpful info. just knowing that i'm not insane and that is actually what i'm feeling makes it easier to deal with a little
You are not going insane bless you. I just think that when we are anxious and feel crappy our minds just going into overdrive about what could be wrong with us and we don’t have any perspective. I’m sure everyone’s been there.
yeah i think that's where i am for sure. it's just such a new feeling and it's difficult to put into words. i'm writing everything down in a word doc so i have it in front of me the next time i talk to my doc. i have i tendency to trip over my words when i talk to him and not say what i want to say
Well the doctor isn’t taking it is he?! I can’t think of one reason why you shouldn’t unless your levels were so low you really need it quick?
As for the ear ringing, i think it can be a problem. I have it atm but it comes and then goes for ages and although there seems to be a link with thyroid and ear probs I think as your trying to take meds to help you it would be unlikely to be a permanent issue 🤞🏻
it's not just ear ringing. at night i can feel this sort of popping in my ears when i'm lying down. it's not painful but it feels really weird. honestly i think i'd be able to deal with it more if i knew i wasn't going deaf or something
When I get hypo symptoms I get like sinus issues. Not obviously a cold but pressure in the back of my head and and teeth ache and ear popping. Do you think it could be something like this?
i've been having sinus like issues for sure. the ear ringing is worse when that is happening. last night the back of my neck hurt really badly and my ears felt really full and clogged and the ringing was much worse
Are you still on 25mcg? If you are you are on a really low dose that your symptoms will probably feel worse not better 😞. All the symptoms can be really tough to deal with and from memory I think you found an increase in dose too hard. What you have to tell yourself is that the symptoms from increasing your dose might be very difficult to cope with, they are temporary. Whereas the symptoms you’re experiencing from being under medicated aren’t. You really need to try the 50mcg the doctor offered x.
i think you might be right. i was switched to 25mcg synthroid instead of generic and i'm still dealing with ringing ears. my thyroid level is now in "normal" range but from what i'm reading about hashi it's still too low. i think i might be underdosed. i have an endo now and i'm going to an audiologist next week. honestly i think my stress and worry about everything could be just as much of an issue as the hypo
Ahhh but it’s anxiety and that is a hypo symptom. You are going to be undermedicated so you are in the ‘normal’ range. What are your results? If you start a new post with your results you will get people helping.
I am really pleased to read you have an endo. I can only tell you that we have all been where you are. Obviously people have different symptoms but anxiety is common as are hearing issues. Post your results and give people the opportunity to help you. There is a lot of knowledge on this forum. You are obviously really suffering and I know it can be difficult but the advice on here has proven invaluable to me and lots of others and should not be underestimated it can help you feel so much better. X.
yeah the anxiety has been through the roof. i have my first ever tele appointment with a therapist this weekend, seeing an audiologist next week and chatting with a homeopath next week too. i'm trying to get it under control. i do have some recent blood work. where would i post that? just in a reply?
I’m so pleased that you have the energy to do all you are. That’s fantastic. I would say my experience would be that number one on your list needs to be upping your dose but talking is good and all those things you mentioned will no doubt help you as it’s a really positive step.
With posting your results, do the same as this one. You go to the top of the screen/page and click on ‘write’ and go from there. I will be so pleased to see your results so that’s brilliant! x
Reply here if you can’t fathom it x.
buzzing1973,
Welcome to our forum.
When I started on Levothyroxine some symptoms immediately improved …. such as blood in my urine, elevated bilirubin, an ongoing hoarse cough but others appeared … head whooshes, vertigo, feelings of spaciness and not being myself. My blood pressure shot through the roof, and I got heart bangs, eyeball pressure and tinnitus.
Eventually I learnt that all hormones work together and a deficiency in one will lead to an elevation in another somewhere down the line. I imagined many years before when the thyroid and adrenal glands had worked side by side in tune with each other, but then as thyroid hormone had slowly became deficient the adrenal gland hormones (cortisol/adrenaline) had stepped up and supported until eventually instead of hormones balancing and working in harmony a yawning gap had started to appear, and that was to compromise all equilibrium.
Fast forward years to suddenly introducing Levothyroxine. Although a relatively small dose, it is still an enormous kick to a dysfunctional metabolism that sends us seeing stars. And I think this is where you are at in this moment, boosting a metabolism that’s being propped up with copious amounts of cortisol and adrenalin. And that’s why you feel anxious with rushing feelings, a racing mind and ringing ears.
Doctors have no idea about the thyroid- adrenal connection. If this were me I would want to test to eliminate elevated cortisol levels which would inhibit the working efficiency of Levothyroxine anyway. If levels are elevated there are powerful supplements to help readdress the balance.
Doctors also have little idea how destructive autoimmune disease can be. Have you had thyroid antibodies TPOAb & TGAb checked?
And lastly, Levothyroxine will need adequate iron, Vit B12, Vit D and folate to work properly. Have these been tested?
yeah in a lot of ways i'm not surprised i feel so funky. i'm taking a synthetic hormone that my body has been deficient in. i totally understand that and that the thyroid helps to control many bodily functions. i have not had my vitamin levels tested but that's the next step i hope. i also have not had antibodies checked so i guess that's a direction i need to consider. thank you
You've had some good replies, and I also think the vitamin testing is very important. Apart from the fact thyroid hormones won't work properly with low levels, being hypo can leave you depleted of vitamins and minerals which can have a profound effect. When you get your results, post them on here for advice, as Dr's often deem levels as 'fine' when they're actually not. Also make sure you learn about the cofactors for whatever you're deficient in ~ for example, when you take vitamin D, you need to take vit K2 and magnesium. It can get complicated, but it's well worth looking into to help keep yourself healthy. I suffered unnecessarily for years due to poor medical advice regarding nutrients, despite a healthy diet. Good luck with it all...I hope you feel better soon.
i'm on the hunt for a more holistic pcp right now. hoping to get that sorted asap. yeah there are some good replies on here. i'm learning a lot
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